Melbourne Queer Film Festival

The Melbourne Queer Film Festival has curated an impressively broad program this year, spotlighting several fantastic queer-proud movies that are confidently pushing their way out of genre-niche territory and commanding worldwide attention.

Local offerings appear mostly in the form of coming-of-age tales, such as the 90s fest Monster Pies and the intense closing night drama Submerge, as well as a selection of local shorts.

Two international big-hitters are screening at ACMI; Zenne Dancer, a Turkish production about a male belly dancer and his interactions with two very different men, featuring stunning dance sequences; and Beyond the Walls, a drama with a lighthearted first half that has seen it repeatedly compared to Weekend, only with a twist that takes the film in unexpected and riveting directions.

A major highlight of the festival promises to be A Liar's Autobiography, a 3D animated adaptation of Graham Chapman's memoir. With the rest of the Monty Python crew lending their vocal talents, it's as close to fresh Python material as we're going to get.

Meanwhile, there's something to suit everyone's taste, from musicals to icy scandinavian drama and a selection of panels including the particularly interesting queering the small screen.

Image credit Monster Pies, via vimeo.